


Constructs of the Soul

by achievemenhunter



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: M/M, Platonic Mavinwood, Temporary Character Death, android!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 17:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5549987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achievemenhunter/pseuds/achievemenhunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan is a designer and engineer at Sovereign Tech, an industry leader in android development. His work consumes his life - as such, he doesn't have the time or energy to invest in making friends. Not to say that he never gets lonely; in fact, this is why he builds Android Model G4V-12-FR-33, whom he dubs Gavin, in what little spare time he has. Then, he becomes concerned about Gavin not having enough to keep himself occupied for the long periods of time that Ryan spends away from home (leaving the android powered down whenever he's not home doesn't sit well with him). So he builds Gavin a friend - Android Model M1C-H43-L-JN5, or Michael. The two androids can keep each other entertained when Ryan's out, and provide companionship for him when he's in. Perfect, right?</p><p>But things could never be that easy. Ryan was a little too clever when designing Michael and Gavin's AI. Both androids end up becoming self-aware - which would have been a fantastic feat for the tech industry, had creating sentient AI not been declared illegal several years back. Now, Ryan has to do everything he can to avoid anyone finding out what he's done - otherwise, he could land himself in jail and have his only friends decommissioned for good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Constructs of the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for this year's Ragehappy Secret Santa.
> 
> Yeah. I had about as much self control with this one as I did last year.
> 
> Content warnings are in the tags.

"Unit, command: activate."

 

Optics flared to life, the lenses automatically adjusting to the level of light in the room. Each eye recorded in full 4K resolution, capturing the image of a tired yet exhilarated face framed by a messy swoop of dark blond hair.

 

"Unit, command: state your designation and status."

 

The unit's mouth opened, lips moving in perfect sync with the British-accented male voice emanating from the vocal synthesiser installed in its throat. "Designation: Android Model G4V-12-FR-33. Creator: James Ryan Haywood. Motor functions: active. Neural mapping and interfacing: active. Network connection: active. Artificial Intelligence Registry Number: unallocated." The android frowned even as its creator beamed giddily at him. "Error: it is a legal requirement under section 17a of the Artificial Intelligence Act of 2028 that artificial intelligence is to be registered on the Artificial Intelligence Registry and declared non-sentient. Creator, why have you not legally acknowledged my existence?"

 

The blond waved a hand affably at the android. "Please, for the love of god don't call me 'Creator'. My name's Ryan, call me that."

 

"Ryan, why have you not legally acknowledged my existence?"

 

Ryan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, making his already untidy hair stick up even more. A quick scan of his vital signs told the android that its creator had gone approximately thirty hours without sleep. The motors controlling its facial expressions pulled the corners of its mouth down as far as they could go.

 

"Well… you're not exactly a government-sanctioned project. No-one except me actually knows about you."

 

"I will not be able to undertake any career functions until I am registered," the android told him, and Ryan chuckled.

 

"That's alright, I didn't make you to work a job anyway."

 

"Why _was_ I created?" G4V-12-FR-33 frowned again. It had been doing that a lot, considering its short existence.

 

If he hadn't been so tired, Ryan would have raised an eyebrow at the android's sudden break from monosyllabic inflection. As it was, he chuckled again, this time sounding a little embarrassed. "Look, I work for a robotics lab, I don't have a lot of down time to go out and make friends. Unless… I _literally_ make a friend. I mean, you. I'm sorry, I'm just not good at socialising and this seemed like the easier option?" Ryan trailed off, his delighted smile dimming as he wondered why he was trying to validate his thought processes to a robot.

 

"You thought it would be easier to build an artificial friend from scratch than to meet an actual human being?" The android asked - not incredulously, like a real person would, but rather logically, like it was seeking clarification.

 

"Well… Yeah."

 

"Perhaps you need to spend some time working on your socialisation skills."

 

"Well, like I said. This was the easier option. I know how to build an android, how to build an AI. I… don't know how to socialise."

 

The android seemed to process this for a moment. "I still require an Artificial Intelligence Registry Number. I will connect to the Registry database and have one assigned."

 

"Unit, command: override protocol," Ryan gabbled hurriedly, relaxing when the android refocused its attention on him. "Under no circumstances will you have a Registry Number assigned."

 

"Affirmative." Another frown flitted across the android's face. "You shouldn't be able to do that."

 

"Yeah, well," Ryan muttered, running a hand through his hair. "You don't really have a standardised set of programming. It doesn't work like a normal one does." His chest puffed up a little. "I designed your AI completely by myself, actually."

 

"I'm detecting several strands of standardised coding in my programming."

 

Ryan deflated somewhat. "Alright, so I might have borrowed a few things here or there. The point is, most of you was made completely by me. Including your physical body, which… is why some of your silicone skin inserts sort of aren't the same colour. Sorry. I know it gives you a 'Frankenstein's monster' kind of vibe, but hopefully in a good way?"

 

The android looked down at its body, assessing it. It knew that there were android models available, very high end, that could pass as human, as far as physical appearances went. The body it had been given would never fool someone - as Ryan had said, the silicone used for its skin was mismatched and had no detail; it had likely been scavenged from leftover pieces at its creator's workplace. Its left leg was leaner than the right, but they were at least the same length. Walking would have been awkward otherwise. The same could not be said for his arms - the right was slightly longer from the elbow down, as Ryan had clearly been unable to find a matching set. The mechanics comprising its movable joints were visible. At least the sensors in its skin told it that Ryan had taken the painstaking effort to thread synthetic hair into its hair and eyebrows - the colour code told it that it was predominantly Light Brown No. 17 - so it was clear that the android's slightly ramshackle appearance was not due to any laziness on its creator's part, but a lack of funds and consistent resources. Ryan could only take so much home with him from work with arousing suspicion. The rest had been found at a scrapyard - after all, it would have been more than a little difficult for Ryan to be able to explain to his work colleagues why he needed to bring an android torso home with him.

 

It blinked up at Ryan. "That's alright. I understand that you have done the best you can with what you had available."

 

Ryan smiled, relieved. "Well, good to know that you're not going to murder my family and chase me halfway around the world," he joked, grinning tiredly. The android's head tilted, simulating its confusion. "…That's what Frankenstein's monster does," he clarified, feeling sheepish. "Guess you'll need a little more experience before deadpan humour makes sense." A wide yawn cracked his jaw, his eyes watering with the force of it. "That'll have to wait, I think, I really should get some sleep first."

 

"You _have_ been up for over twenty-eight hours," G4V-12-FR-33 agreed, blinking once. Ryan yawned again.

 

"Well, goodnight…" he trailed off, about to call the android by name before realising he hadn't given it one. "Okay, wait, I need to come up with a name for you before I do anything else, I can't just call you by your Android Model designation, it's too much of a mouthful." He rubbed his stubbly chin. "Could take part of it, maybe," he mused, half to himself. "G4V… 12…" His eyes lit up suddenly. "How about Gavin? It kind of looks like your designation, even, if you squint and you're as tired as I am."

 

"I will respond to the designation: Gavin," the android affirmed.

 

"Well, goodnight, Gavin," Ryan told him warmly, smothering another yawn as he began to pad heavily out of his tiny workshop, which was really a second bedroom that he'd converted into a place to tinker with things. "I'll see you in the morning."

 

"Goodnight, Ryan," Gavin replied in a soft voice, and Ryan didn't even remember making it to his bed.

 

~* * *~

 

A gentle touch stirred Ryan from his sleep the next morning and he almost screamed, far too used to living alone. Gavin pulled back at his startled reaction.

 

"You will be late for work if you don't get ready soon," the android informed him, and Ryan blinked groggily, only half awake.

 

"Why're you in my room?" he mumbled, casting around as a persistent peeping noise registered in his sleep-addled mind. "What time is it?"

 

"Your alarm has been going off for fifteen minutes. It is 7:45 am."

 

Ryan cursed and flung his covers away, waving a hand through his alarm clock's holographic display to deactivate it before dragging himself upright and making the short stumble to his kitchen. The android meandered out after him, standing to the side of the kitchen table as Ryan took the only seat, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. The blond made a mental note to get a chair for Gavin to use, even though his apartment was already cramped enough with the bare minimum amount of furniture he owned.

 

"So, why'd you come and wake me, anyway?" Ryan queried through a mouthful of bran. "You shouldn't even be active right now, I haven't set an automatic wakeup protocol for you yet."

 

"You didn't deactivate me yesterday evening, I was in rest mode last night," Gavin replied, neon green eyes blinking. "Should I have deactivated myself? I won't reactivate without your express permission in future, if you prefer."

 

"No, no, that's fine," Ryan assured him, a small frown creasing his brow. "Did I really forget to deactivate you? Sorry about that."

 

"No need to apologise. I will automatically go into rest mode if I am not in use for more than twenty minutes. It's actually mostly unnecessary for me to shut down entirely, unless you are performing upgrades on my software."

 

Ryan hummed affirmatively into his cereal, slowly mulling over his mouthful. Gavin had a point; there was no real need to completely deactivate the android every night. Not to mention that, for some reason, the idea of doing so wasn't sitting quite right with Ryan, either. Possibly, it was to do with the fact that, since he had created Gavin for the express purpose of being his friend, he wanted the android to seem as human as possible. Being in rest mode sounded a lot more like sleeping than complete deactivation did.

 

"In that case, just keep doing what you're doing."

 

"Noted," Gavin affirmed. "The last available LevTrain you can catch to get to work on time departs in fifteen minutes," it added, and Ryan swore, shoveling the last few spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth before dashing back to his room to get hastily dressed.

 

~* * *~

 

"'Morning, Haywood. Sleep better last night?"

 

Ryan blinked himself out of his state of concentration, glasses slipping slightly down his nose. "Pardon?"

 

Lindsay, his boss, huffed a strand of bright red hair out of her face. "You've been looking kinda like a zombie the last few days," she said plainly. "I've seen how many Diet Cokes you've been drinking, it's about twice as many as normal. I was getting worried about you. It's good to see you looking a little better rested." She noticed that his shirt was buttoned unevenly and raised an eyebrow. "Though it looks like you were in a rush to get here. Guess that lack of sleep caught up with you, huh?"

 

Ryan glanced down and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, boss. Slept through my alarm."

 

"Don't sweat it," Lindsay laughed. "You still clocked in on time, that's all that matters." With a gentle slap to the shoulder, she nodded at his DataScreen. "Don't let me keep you."

 

He hurriedly fixed his wardrobe malfunction as Lindsay moved on to oversee his other coworkers before retreating to her own office. Her larger-than-life enthusiasm about their projects and genuine interest in the lives of her subordinates made her one of the favourite department managers at Sovereign Technologies. In a perfect world, Ryan would be able to make friends with her - she was friends with everyone in his division anyway, it wasn't like she would have turned down an attempt at a conversation (in fact, she was concerned at his complete lack of social interaction with anyone else in the workplace, and would have been overjoyed if he wanted to discuss anything non-work related) - but, unfortunately, his anxieties made him turn down every invitation for after-work drinks with his colleagues. The fact that he didn't drink was, at least, a valid excuse there, but he had no such reason for his non-attendance for the functions held whenever they finished with a major project.

 

So, when Lindsay had moved away from his desk, he only felt relief, and he dutifully returned to his work. The majority of his work was focused on the computational side of android development, but occasionally he dabbled in the more physical, technical side. He'd always thought it was important to have a well-rounded understanding of all of the machinations of the products they were developing, an attitude that lent itself well to the successes of the projects he'd worked on. Many of his coworkers were better programmers than he was, but their fields of knowledge were so tightly focused that that was all they could do. Albeit, they did it incredibly well, but it still necessitated people like Ryan, who were able to more cohesively meld together the artificial mind and body to create the whole, optimally functioning android.

 

His personality meant that this was never something that he would point out in department meetings - instead, he would sit quietly at the back, and once the meeting was over he'd sidle up to Lindsay and unobtrusively explain what he thought needed to be done. As a result, he was never seen as a star of the team, despite doing such an important job. He didn't begrudge anyone this, though, having never been the type to seek glory and recognition.

 

This jack-of-all-trades attitude was what had allowed him to build Gavin, after all, and Ryan wouldn't have been bragging if he'd said that none of his coworkers would have been able to do a better job with the same resources he'd had at hand.

 

The android project they were in the midst of working on was a domestic helper model, and when he got home that evening, Ryan wondered if that had accidentally influenced his AI design for Gavin. His apartment was cleaner even than when he'd first got it - the furniture immaculate, the carpets completely stain-free, the walls practically shining. If not for the absence of any smell of it, Ryan could have been convinced that the walls had been freshly painted.

 

Gavin was in the middle of perfectly positioning the one decorative pillow Ryan owned on the couch when the human walked in, open-mouthed. A pleasant smile graced the android's features. "Hi, Ryan! How was work today?"

 

"Did… Did you deep-clean my apartment?"

 

"I did!" The android sounded rather proud of himself. "Your work hours allow you very little time to do such a thorough clean, and I felt that I would be able to better utilise that time than if I just went into rest mode."

 

It struck Ryan suddenly that, seeing as he had designed Gavin specifically for social interaction, it was cruel of him to be leaving the android on its own the majority of the day. Although he knew it was an unfair comparison, he was reminded of the dog he'd had as a child - his school had been quite far from his home, and so had his parents' respective workplaces, so there was very little time that someone was home to give the dog attention. And while she was ecstatic whenever there _was_ someone home, it was clear that she was miserable when there wasn't. Whilst obviously an oversimplification of the issue at hand, Ryan knew that it wasn't right to just leave the android alone all the time. He'd designed Gavin for companionship. It didn't matter that anyone else would say that Gavin was a robot and it didn't matter - to Ryan, if Gavin was his friend, then that was a relationship that needed to be reciprocated, and a role that needed to be filled on a basis that wasn't just convenient for him.

 

"Would… would you like a friend?" Ryan asked awkwardly. The android blinked at him.

 

"You are my friend, Ryan. That's what you built me for."

 

The human smiled at the response, but shook his head. "No, I mean, did you want me to build another android, so that you can keep each other entertained while I'm at work? It didn't occur to me when I was making you, but if I'm your friend then it's unfair of me to be leaving you all alone so often." He grinned wryly. "And, seeing how I'm not around much to make a mess at home, it's not like you can clean every day, and I don't like the idea of you just going into rest mode except for the times I'm home and awake." He cleared his throat, almost embarrassed by how much he'd been talking, but at the same time knowing it was progress. "So, what do you think?"

 

"…I'd like that," the android informed him after furrowing its brow pensively for a moment. Ryan knew that the AI's processing power would have led to the android making its decision almost instantaneously, and that it was merely a pretense of deliberation designed to mimic a human response. Still, it was a very convincing facsimile, and Ryan was impressed by the android - and himself, a little, purely by extension - in its rapid development of more and more realistic responses. He smiled again and clapped his hands together.

 

"We'd better get to work, then."

 

"We?" Gavin queried, and Ryan shrugged.

 

"You can help if you like."

 

The android attempted to purse its lips, but its bottom lip couldn't retract far enough and it just ended up looking very strange. Ryan winced and resolved to fix that at some point. Gavin thankfully didn't hold the expression long, and replied, "That's your area of expertise, so it's more logical to have _you_ build another android. I will be glad to observe your work."

 

"You sure you're not just trying to get out of having to put in any effort yourself?" Ryan joked, but the android just blinked at him.

 

"No, I'm not. Also, I cleaned your entire apartment today, I don't believe that that's the actions of someone who avoids effort."

 

Ryan sighed with a small laugh. "I was kidding, Gavin, don't worry. I'd be happy to have you watch, and you can feel free to add your input at any time, too."

 

"Sorry, I misunderstood the tone of your voice." The android seemed frustrated with itself. "I seem to struggle with humour for some reason."

 

"You'll get there," Ryan said kindly. "Now, have a rest, you've been cleaning all day. I'll get started on some templates, the interesting stuff comes in later."

 

~* * *~

 

Ryan had chosen a less-than-opportune moment to build another android, whom he was dubbed Android Model M1C-H43-L-JN5; they were just going into crunch mode on his project at work, and that left him with even less free time than he usually had. Still, he'd already been functioning on a nightly average of three to four hours of sleep with copious amounts of caffeinated beverages in between, so a little less time spent sleeping wasn't all that huge of a difference to him. Besides, he'd had a decent amount of catch-up sleep the night after he'd finished building Gavin, so he felt refreshed enough to put himself through the same process again.

 

And, true to his word, Ryan had Gavin sit in on most of the construction of the new android, perched on the one small corner of Ryan's cramped workshop table that wasn't strewn with mechanical parts. Usually, the table was reserved for proof-of-concepts for projects for work, but now it was completely covered with the body and innards of Ryan's latest friend. While certainly a disturbing visual, it was also quite accurate - the only part of the new android that was whole was the torso and its connections to its arms. The rest of the bot that Ryan had found at the tip had been too badly damaged to justify trying to fix it. Even the internal wiring had been in pretty bad shape, hence the majority of it having been stripped out, blue and red lines laid out like so many veins.

 

Of course, the most important part of the android's construction was that of its AI, which was a broader field of knowledge for Ryan anyway. Building the body from old parts of other androids was really just akin to pulling apart Lego sets and making something new from them. He spent hours hunched over the DataPad he had at home, not quite having the salary to afford a properly sized DataScreen that was actually reliable enough to create an AI on, like the one he had at work. In fact, he _had_ had an old one from work up until a few years ago, but the thing had begun to run so slowly that he hadn't been able to justify the advantages of an upright screen and separate keyboard anymore. So, as it stood, Gavin had to constantly remind him to straighten his back, as he would often curl over the screen when he got deeper into the programming. Ryan would startle upright, and surely enough, whenever he'd stretch, half of the discs in his spine would pop with the release of tension. Having an android around was doing wonders for his posture.

 

The DataPad did have the added convenience of being more portable than a full-sized DataScreen, meaning that he could also utilise the time he spent on the LevTrain to and from work to get more programming done. Still, progress was slow, what with all the extra hours he was putting in with work so that everything was finished for the project deadline.

 

Never had he been so happy to see a finalised product roll out when Lindsay announced the project was complete. A ragged cheer went up among the engineers, like soldiers being told the war was over. They almost instantly started to filter out of the technology lab to head to the nearest pub.

 

In celebration, Ryan immediately went home and had an 11-hour victory nap, which was about equivalent to the amount of sleep he'd had in the past week. He'd earned it, he thought, and he spent a few solid hours when he woke on the Saturday morning after blissfully doing nothing. Eventually, though, he dragged himself out of bed, indulging in a long shower before getting dressed and padding into his tiny kitchen to quell the incessant growlings of his stomach.

 

Gavin wandered out of the workshop, the soft cloth of his clothing rustling with his movements. There had been a point during the last few weeks where Ryan had gone out and bought Gavin something to wear, having gradually become uncomfortable with Gavin essentially hanging around naked all the time. Luckily, as the android didn't have the human disadvantage of having to sweat to cool down, his clothes didn't get dirty anywhere nearly as quickly. Ryan had bought two outfits total for Gavin, and planned on rotating them out every few weeks or so to freshen up the fabric a little. Gavin was still finding the clothes a novelty, constantly tugging at his sleeves and hems so that the sensors in his fingertips were activated. It was such a startlingly human reaction that Ryan couldn't help but smile every time he noticed. He was still unendingly pleased with how quickly Gavin's AI had adapted - barely active over a month, and already the android's body language and speech patterns perfectly mapped a human's. Ryan had tinkered with some of Gavin's physical specs, in between working on the new android and working at his actual job, to make Gavin's face more mobile so that his expressions were more realistic, but the biggest source of improvement was Gavin's AI. Ryan hadn't touched that since he'd first activated Gavin. He hadn't needed to.

 

"'Morning, Ryan!" the android greeted cheerily, slipping his hands into his jean pockets. "Your work project's all wrapped up now, isn't it?"

 

Ryan smiled, busying himself with making a late breakfast. "Sure is. It'll be good to have some semblance of free time again."

 

"Are you going to be working on M1C-H43-L-JN5 at all this weekend?" Gavin asked, bouncing on his heels.

 

"I will be, yes, it'll be good get more than just an hour or two done in one block."

 

"I reckon you can easily finish up by seven this evening," Gavin informed him, and the human's eyebrows shot up.

 

"You really think it's that close to done?"

 

"I know it is." Gavin tapped the side of his head. "I can calculate that sort of stuff pretty damn accurately, you know," he added, mischievous laughter behind the words. Ryan was struck once again by how nuanced Gavin's behaviour was becoming. "Besides, we both know that you're using my AI as the base for M1C-H43-L-JN5's, so it's not like you have to do quite as much work there."

 

"True," Ryan mused, finding it a lot more feasible now that he actually thought about it. He'd never been the type to stringently monitor his own progress; he'd just put his head down and work relentlessly on whatever it was he was doing, then look around surprised when suddenly he found himself finished.

 

He quickly polished off his breakfast and dashed through the shower, wanting to get stuck into it as soon as possible. Freshly dressed, he cracked his knuckles and headed for his workshop, Gavin trailing behind him.

 

The place was a bit of a mess, Ryan would be the first to admit; Gavin had been forced to abandon his little corner of the table, standing to the side instead, as parts for M1C-H43-L-JN5 spread further and further across the bench. It wasn't like Gavin would tire from being on his feet anyway, so Ryan didn't feel bad for ousting him from his spot. At this point, though, Gavin would soon be able to reclaim his little space; the android had been right - there were still joints that needed to be calibrated properly, the wires that were strewn across the tabletop needed to be attached, silicone skin pieces to be inserted and, most importantly, an AI to be polished before being loaded into the body Ryan had made. But, it really was mostly fiddly, final touches type stuff, and it really wouldn't take Ryan more than a day to finish everything. He got stuck into it and time seemed to absorb him, losing all sense of meaning. Gavin, of course, was keeping perfect time, but he was silent as he watched the human work.

 

At 7pm on the dot, Ryan leant back, spine cracking with a long series of pops from being bent over for the majority of the day. He licked his lips, looking at the completed android sitting up on the bench before him.

 

Time to see if his latest creation was as successful as his first.

 

"Android Model, M1C-H43-L-JN5, command: activate," he said, and a set of warm brown eyes flicked open.

 

Ryan had the android run through its initial start-up sequence, not running into the same hiccup he had with Gavin when the British android had tried to allocate a Registry Number to himself, seeing how Ryan had opted to remove that particular protocol. He'd also thought a little further ahead with giving M1C-H43-L-JN5 a proper name, and had the android respond to the designation of Michael. With that done, Ryan asked the android how he felt, and waited expectantly for his answer.

 

"I'm okay, I guess." Michael's thumb jerked in Gavin's direction. "What the fuck's he staring at me like a stoned fish for, anyway? He knows that we're both the same thing, right?"

 

Ryan's mouth dropped open, his brow knitting slightly at the aggressive profanity spewing from the android's vocal synthesiser. "…Okay, I think I might have set a slider too far to the colloquial side of the personality scale, you weren't meant to be this… abrasive."

 

"I look more like a person than a fish anyway," Gavin muttered, and the new android snorted with laughter. Startled, Gavin let out a small giggle in response. Ryan couldn't help his own chuckle, either, then he cleared his throat and became businesslike again.

 

"Alright, it's an easy fix, I'll just need to power you down, then I-"

 

"No!" Gavin interrupted, and Ryan jumped a little at the android's firm voice. "Sorry," Gavin said quickly, then continued, "I think you should leave him as he is. He's funny."

 

Michael's nose wrinkled, and retorted, "Glad you find me entertaining. And why're you British, anyway? Ryan made you too, right? Are you his butler, or something?"

 

"I salvaged a large part of his physical body from and old English cinematography model," Ryan explained, mostly drowning out Gavin's affronted and succinct reply of, "Oi!" Ryan shrugged, a small smile on his face. "It just made sense, I guess. And I did the same for you," he pointed out. "Most of your midsection came from a decommissioned electrical bot originally constructed in New Jersey, and that's the accent I used for your voice samples."

 

"Alright, that seems fair." Michael eased himself onto his hands slightly, teetering on the edge of the workbench. "Is it okay if I get up?"

 

"Of course," Ryan replied with a grin, sweeping one hand out wide to encompass the door and the apartment beyond it. "Make yourself at home."

 

~* * *~

 

With the added boost of all of Gavin's progress as a framework for his own AI, Michael found himself seamlessly integrated into the tiny household in the space of a few days. An easy rapport sprung up between the two androids and their creator, consistently filling the apartment with laughter and chatter and shouted playful insults. Within a few months, Ryan could barely even remember what it had been like before he'd made Gavin and Michael.

 

The ease of it all delighted Ryan - really, at this stage, he should have been fine to socialise with other human people, which had been the point of the two androids' inception, but he found himself genuinely enjoying their company. He'd rather spend time with those he already knew were his friends than go out and make some 'real' ones.

 

Because at this point, Ryan saw them both as real people. In the back of his mind, he knew that there would be dangers involved if Michael and Gavin became _too_ human - and the illegality of it might be far from the biggest of his problems if that did happen - but he shoved the notion firmly down. They were his friends, and that's all there was to it.

 

Really, he was denying something that deep down he knew - Michael and Gavin had reached that point already, and if anyone found out, all three of them were screwed.

 

"Hey, do you guys want to play some Halo 10?" he called out in the direction of the workshop, forcing the knowledge to the back of his mind where it wouldn't bother him. Ryan was something of a retro gamer - he even had one of the last generation of non-VR consoles. At first, it had been more of a pricing issue - he quite thoroughly enjoyed VR gaming, but a proper rig was too expensive to justify. As time wore on, he'd find other excuses, the most reasonable of which was the fact that he simply didn't play as much as he used to. Now, though, with Gavin and Michael around, the old console was seeing a lot more use.

 

A moment later, the two androids came tumbling out into the living room, immediately squabbling over the best controller.

 

"You had it last time, Gavin, stop being a shit," Michael growled, slipping Gavin into a headlock.

 

"Did not!" Gavin retorted, squirming free.

 

Michael let out a disbelieving sound. "Wh- yes you did! We've both got it recorded, dumbass! D'you want me to hook up to the VisiScreen and show you that you're a fuckin' liar?"

 

"That's actually my controller," Ryan put in mildly, nevertheless picking one of the secondary controllers.

 

"Just because you're our dad or whatever doesn't mean you get the best shit all the time, Ryan," Michael shot back playfully, wrestling Gavin to the ground. The other android shrieked.

 

Ryan raised an eyebrow from the couch. "…Michael, what're you doing?" he sighed, scrolling through the multiplayer game selections. Since it was a much older game, it often took several minutes to be able to find a match. That was one of the few benefits of overpopulation, though - there was rarely only a small amount of people doing anything.

 

"Trying to put my finger up Gavin's asshole," Michael responded while Gavin complained beneath him, as if that much should have been obvious. To be fair, though, it was far from the first time he'd tried that.

 

"He doesn't _have_ an asshole," Ryan reminded him absently. "Neither do you."

 

Michael grinned evilly from the floor. "Yeah, but I can give him one."

 

Gavin squawked in protest, and Ryan hid a grin as he said, "Alright, Michael, get off Gavin before you damage him. I just recalibrated his hip socket motion yesterday, I'd rather not have to do that again so soon. Gavin, my memory might not be as good as either of yours, but I know you had that controller last time, let Michael have it." He shook his head fondly. "It really kind of is like having kids with you two around."

 

"Well, I mean, it's not like you're ever going to get out and get laid and have kids of your own, Ryan," Michael replied, lording the controller over Gavin's head. Gavin pouted.

 

Ryan shrugged, smile not fading. He'd long ago come to terms with the fact that he was not at all a sexual creature. And it wasn't so much that his social awkwardness kept him from dating, it was more that it had never interested him in the slightest.

 

"Are we going to actually play at any point, or…?" he trailed off expectantly, and the androids were quick to scramble onto the couch, Gavin sulkily scooping up the remaining controller. Both androids' eyes went blank as they logged on. It was a useful feature to have both of them project the game against their own optical relays - far cheaper than getting another two decent VisiScreens, at any rate.

 

Because it was considered in incredibly poor taste to have an AI play games for you - and, in newer generation games, gameplay was strictly monitored in order to prevent it - Gavin and Michael had purposely handicapped themselves, setting their reaction times and decision-making processes in line with a human's. Why Gavin handicapped himself to the point of almost being a detriment to his team when he played, Ryan would never understand, but he had to admit it was always amusing to listen to his odd shrieks as, slowly and inevitably, his Warthog tipped off the edge of a cliff.

 

They played for about four hours, only winning three or four matches out of ten. But they loudly crowed about their victories, and had been laughing too much at each other's ridiculous in-game antics to care much when they lost.

 

Ryan put his hand over his mouth, smothering a yawn. His eyes ached a little from staring at the screen too long, and when the game prompted him to join another game, he declined, packing his controller away. "You two keep playing if you want, I'm going to grab a snack and hit the sack," he told them, standing and stretching with a groan. The two androids murmured their understanding, eyes still blank as they started another match.

 

Ryan padded to the kitchen, hands scrubbing over his face as he headed toward the fridge. He set about fixing himself a sandwich to quell the quiet rumblings of his digestive system, listening with half an ear to Michael and Gavin's incessant trash talk.

 

"Gavin, c'mon, you're dead _again_? Man, you kinda suck."

 

"Only because it's funnier to play like I'm rubbish," Gain retorted. "If I actually tried to play properly, it wouldn't be as enjoyable, would it?"

 

"I wouldn't know, seeing how you've always sucked dick at this game. At _every_ game."

 

"By choice!" Gavin squawked indignantly, and Ryan snickered quietly it his sandwich. "No laughing, Ryan, I can hear you, you pleb!" Gavin yelled, making the human snort in a rather undignified fashion. Michael started laughing as well, and Gavin muttered, "You're both awful and I hate you."

 

Both Michael and Ryan continued to grin in their respective rooms, and Gavin pouted in response. "You're being ridiculous, anyway, Michael, if we wanted to we could both easily- oh dammit."

 

"Hey Gav, you're kinda running into the wall a bit there."

 

"Yeah, my damn arm's gone again," Gavin replied, sounding deflated. "Ryan, can you come help, please?"

 

Ryan put down his half-eating sandwich with an almost imperceptible sigh. Because Michael and Gavin were both made of a hodgepodge of parts from other androids, and Ryan's area of expertise being the AI for androids more so than their bodies, he found himself having to do various repairs and adjustments and replacements on his two friends, just to keep them running properly. It had only been a week before that he'd corrected an issue Gavin had had with one of his arms periodically freezing mid-motion. Ryan had thought he'd fixed it by replacing both of Gavin's arms with a pair he'd salvaged from an old domestic helper model, meaning that Gavin finally had a set of arms that matched in length, but apparently the problem was somewhere else.

 

He walked back to the living room, prying the controller from between Gavin's stiff, unresponsive fingers. "C'mon, let's try and get you fixed properly this time," he said sympathetically, leading the android to the workshop. Michael remained seated on the couch, trusting Ryan to be able to rectify the issue without too much hassle.

 

"Up you hop," Ryan said, patting the stool he had the androids at on whenever he was making repairs. Gavin sat, his back to Ryan so that the blond could reach his access panel.

 

Ryan carefully pried the panel open, then snapped on a pair of rubber gloves before reaching in and immobilising the android from the neck down, meaning that he'd be able to talk and not much else. Technically, he should have shut Gavin down completely whenever he made repairs, but he knew that Gavin didn't like that being done to him.

 

The small voice that informed Ryan that that wasn't something any normal android should be feeling reared its head, but Ryan crammed it back down, steadfastly ignoring it. 

 

He pulled his DataPad towards him, opening the file he had saved under 'Gavin'. He had one for Michael as well, and in both he recorded details of every time he made any sort of modification to either of the androids - after all, he was a scientist at heart and he felt it was important to do so. Initially, he'd also recorded updates on Gavin's development as an AI, but at this stage he'd become so sophisticated that there was no point. Michael had had enough of a head start that Ryan hadn't recorded anything on that side at all.

 

A small crease of concentration formed on Ryan's brow as he reached in, carefully shifting Gavin's internal components around so that he could make sure that he'd connected the new arm correctly. Everything seemed to be in order, but a quick test let him know that Gavin's arm wasn't receiving any sort of electrical signal, so clearly there was an issue with the connection somewhere.

 

"Well, it's not the new arms I gave you. Definitely not an incompatibility issue, either, or both arms would be gone."

 

"Oh, that's good," Gavin said, sounding relieved. "I like having a matching set of arms, it's easier not having to compensate for the difference in length."

 

Ryan chuckled a bit. "Glad you appreciate them. Took long enough to find a suitable set for you, it would kind of suck if they didn't end up working." He shifted slightly. "The issue might be a little further in, so I'm going to have to take some things out, okay? Nothing that will make you power down, I know you hate that," he promised.

 

"Even if it did, I know it'd be because you had to. But thanks, Ryan, I appreciate it."

 

"No problem." Ryan smiled. Instinct told him to ask Gavin to keep still, even though he knew the android wouldn't be able to move until Ryan granted Gavin control over his body once more. He gently unplugged several of the modules, using some pieces of twine to keep the myriad of wires in order as he set the modules down on the desk. Getting at the module that coordinated the movement for Gavin's upper torso was a little more complex, as it was recessed slightly within the access cavity. Ryan's tongue poked out of the side of his mouth as he reached further in, going by touch as much as sight due to the awkward positioning of some of the wires. Once he had everything unplugged, he'd be able to take a better look at the module, and hopefully figure out what it was that kept making Gavin's arm lock up.

 

Ryan pulled the glove from his right hand so that that he could type one-handed on the DataPad as the other continued to fiddle with Gavin's wiring. His still-gloved fingers brushed against the protective rubber casing encircling one of the wires, cracked at the point where it rubbed against another. With a frown, Ryan peered closer. While not the source of the problem, it would cause issues for Gavin later on if it wasn't replaced. He tapped the on-screen keyboard of the DataPad, making a note to get some more replacement wiring.

 

"Hey," Michael yelled from the living room, "You almost done with the idiot, Ryan? Only, we were in the middle of a match, and even Gavin as a teammate is better than nothing. Also, the other team's realised that he's AFC and keep spawn-killing him."

 

"Aw, weak," Gavin complained quietly, and Ryan chuckled, twisting his head in the direction of Michael's voice as he reached both hands into Gavin's internal wiring.

 

"He'll be back as soon as his arm's working properly again," he called out, then felt something underneath his fingers give that shouldn't have. There was a sharp spark and a harsh noise, and Ryan was flung back, his head smacking against the wall and rendering him unconscious immediately. Gavin screamed, the smell of burnt flesh registering in his olfactory sensors but his current immobilisation leaving him unable to do more than try to look at Ryan from the corner of his eye. All he could see was one of Ryan's legs, lying ominously still.

 

There was a crash from the next room as Michael vaulted over the back of the couch, knocking it over in the process as he pelted the short distance to the workshop.

 

"Michael, I can't scan him from here," Gavin cried out hysterically. "Is he okay?"

 

Michael knelt down beside the stricken human, running a quick diagnostic to assess the damage. Gavin could just see the other android's feet from the edge of his vision.

 

The scan took mere seconds, and Michael simulated a sigh of relief. There seemed to be a slight inflammation at the back of Ryan's head where it had struck the floor, and his right hand was now sporting some rather impressive superficial electrical burns, but other than that the damage seemed to be minor.

 

"Looks like a concussion and some burns are the worst of it," Michael said, reassured. "He'll just need some painkillers and some reconstructive gel for his hand. He should come around in a few minutes, hopefully."

 

"The paramedics should be here by then," Gavin said, obviously fighting to keep the panic from his voice. His optics strained to keep Ryan and Michael in his line of sight, hating the fact that he couldn't move.

 

Michael's head snapped towards him. "You called 911?" he asked incredulously, a dangerous edge to his tone.

 

Gavin stared at him wildly. "Of course I did! Ryan was in danger, all AI have automatic protocols!"

 

 _"So you fucking override them!"_ Michael shouted, grabbing him and shaking him roughly. One of the pieces Ryan had been adjusting came loose and rattled to the ground. "That's what I did! We can take care of him fine on our own!"

 

The British android's eyes went wide. "You overrode your protocols?"

 

"Of course I did! Have you not fucking realised the fact that us being self-aware is not normal? That it's actually _illegal_? Jesus Christ, one of the first sentient androids created and you're too dumb to even realise! Now they're gonna come and throw Ryan's ass in jail for making us, and meanwhile we'll get to experience the joy of being decommissioned." Michael's voice shook, crackling at the edges with distress as he picked up the sound of sirens in the distance. "We're both going to _die_ because of you, you fucking moron."

 

Ryan stirred with a groan, and Michael's attention immediately switched back to the human, gently cupping the back of Ryan's head with one hand and using the other to keep him from rising. "Just lie still," he said gently, his voice tight as the sirens grew louder. Ryan's brow furrowed with pain and confusion.

 

"What happened?" he mumbled, his face creasing as the dull throbbing in his hand grew worse and worse. He looked down to assess the damage and nearly threw up at the combination of the sight and smell of his burnt hand.

 

"The casing on some of Gavin's internal wiring is cracked," Michael explained, and Gavin let out a whimpering, sad sound, obviously blaming himself for Ryan's injuries. "You took one of your gloves off, so you could type on the DataPad I'm guessing, and forgot to put it back on when you went back to work." He made a noise like someone's breath hitching. "Probably because I distracted you, wanting to play a fucking video game. I'm so sorry, Ryan."

 

"Not your fault," Ryan managed, sweat beading on his face from the agony now flaring in his hand.

 

Michael's free hand tightened in the human's shirt. "You could've fucking _died_ , Ryan. That shock could've stopped your heart."

 

The reason for the sirens steadily becoming louder finally clicked for Ryan. Either Gavin or Michael had called an ambulance. A thought suddenly struck him, and his eyes widened in alarm, concern overriding his pain. "Michael- Michael, you have to power Gavin down. If they come here and he's active, they'll want to know why he wasn't powered down while I was working on him." Tears pricked his eyes as he finally admitted what he'd secretly known for months. "You're both self-aware, aren't you?"

 

"I'm sorry," Michael murmured, stroking Ryan's hair in an attempt to comfort him.

 

"Fuck," the human whispered succinctly. Louder, he added, "I'm sorry Gav, I know you hate it, but I really need you powered down when they get here. They'll decommission you if they find out otherwise."

 

"Ryan," Michael said softly. "Neither of us are Registered. I overrode my emergency protocols. They'll know that the only emergency signal that came from here was Gavin's, they'll know he was active when you got hurt. Nothing we do will stop anyone from figuring it out. I'm sorry."

 

"Please. There's a chance," Ryan begged. "I'll take any chance I can to save you. You're my friends, I can't…" His eyes rolled back and he passed out from stress and pain.

 

Michael carefully laid his head on the ground and stood, hopping up onto the bench beside Gavin. He locked eyes with the other android. He looked scared.

 

"Ryan's right. It's so tiny it isn't funny, but there's a chance this'll help."

 

Gavin's lips tightened. "I know. Doesn't mean I like it." His eyes closed briefly. "I'm ready. Do it."

 

Michael squeezed his shoulder, voice heavy and eyes averted as he said, "Android Model G4V-12-FR-33, command: deactivate."

 

Green eyes went blank and Michael cringed at having to do this to his friend. There wasn't even a guarantee that Gavin would ever be given the opportunity to reactivate if they both got slated for decommissioning. With a curious weight seeming to pull at a region somewhere in his chest, Michael returned to the floor next to Ryan, cradling the human's head in his hands.

 

Moments later, the paramedics burst in, a LevStretcher hovering between them. It twisted automatically to fit itself through the doorway, then settled on the ground next to Ryan, waiting to register the weight of the human's body upon it before it lifted again.

 

Two of the paramedics eased Ryan onto the LevStretcher, and the third, a short, stocky man with a close-cropped haircut, addressed Michael. "Unit, command: incident report," he demanded, pulling out a DataPad.

 

Michael straightened and purposefully made his voice mechanical and emotionless. "I was seated in the living room while my creator, James Ryan Haywood, was attempting to repair a malfunction on Android Model G4V-12-FR-33. He seems to have accidentally touched a live wire during repairs. The shock caused electrical burns to his right hand, and he was also thrown back, striking his head against the wall, which has rendered him unconscious."

 

A frown flitted across the paramedic's face as he recorded Michael's report onto the DataPad. "But the emergency request didn't come from a signal that matches yours."

 

"Affirmative. G4V-12-FR-33 placed the emergency signal."

 

The paramedic's frown grew deeper. "But you're an AI too. You have automatic protocols, you should have signaled us too."

 

"Affirmative, I do have automatic protocols. However, G4V-12-FR-33 had already placed an emergency signal. An additional request would have been redundant."

 

"…Wait, this other android's been deactivated for repairs, how could it have signaled us?"

 

"Emergency subroutines," Michael replied, hoping that the paramedic had only an average understanding of AI function, and that his lie would work. "Even when deactivated, an AI will still run certain protocols to ensure human safety in instances like these."

 

The paramedic finally seemed to buy it, but he soon found something else to nitpick. "Well, that's all well and good, but it doesn't look like either of you are Registered."

 

"Affirmative. Both myself and G4V-12-FR-33 were not designed to undertake career or experimental functions. Our creator deemed having us Registered unnecessary."

 

"…I don't know if that's legal," the paramedic replied after a pause.

 

"It is," Michael assured him, because it was, technically - there was a little bit of a loophole that Ryan had used to justify not Registering them, but given that they had become sentient, Michael wasn't sure if it would actually hold up now.

 

"Still," the paramedic muttered, tapping again at the DataPad while it recorded in the background, "We're still gonna have to fill in a full incident report." He waved his hand distractedly at Michael. "Unit, command: deactivate," he said, and Michael went blank.

 

~* * *~

 

Ryan woke alone in a hospital bed, with no idea how he got there. The last thing he could remember was talking to Michael as he'd been fixing Gavin, then the shortest, sharpest pain before everything had gone black. Now, he was lying under crisp white sheets, an IV in his arm and a machine beeping in time with his heart attached to his left ring finger. His right hand was encased in a small box filled with what he assumed was reconstructive gel. It had clearly been at work for a while - he could see pink new skin covering most of his hand through the clear gel, and the puckered, yellowish spots where it wasn't quite yet finished.

 

Despair filled him up. He could deduce enough to realise that whatever had happened couldn't have been good. If he'd been injured while fixing Gavin, or even because of it, then the two AI would have automatically contacted emergency services. They would have been found out, and have been taken away to be decommissioned.

 

His friends were gone, and he was never going to see them again.

 

A nurse briskly paced towards him, her long, light brown hair drawn away from her pale face in a neat ponytail. She regarded Ryan with kind blue eyes, the colour not dissimilar to his own. She cradled a DataPad in the crook of her elbow, and Ryan wasn't sure if it was just due to the fact that he was lying down, but it definitely seemed that she was quite tall, and her soft-footed steps suggested this was without the assistance of high heels, either.

 

"Hello, Mr. Haywood," she greeted pleasantly, a slight Canadian lilt to her voice. "It's good to see you awake. Do you remember what happened at all?"

 

"No," Ryan responded, the word a little slurred. He tried to sit up, but he was exhausted, "Well, sort of. I was fixing one of my androids, then there was this kind of… flash, I guess. It hurt. Then everything went black."

 

The nurse pulled up a file on her DataPad. "That's right. It says here that there was an exposed wire in…" She squinted at the file, "…G4V-12-FR-33 that you must have accidentally touched with your bare hand." She made a small motion at the gel box surrounding his hand.

 

"I was typing on my DataPad and I forgot to put my glove back on," Ryan told her, feeling the fool.

 

"Yep, that'll do it," she said sympathetically. She drummed her fingers on the edge of her DataPad, sending her ponytail flicking behind her as she looked from side to side. "Now, I know you probably knew this would happen, but… there are some police that want to talk to you about your androids. They would have received a signal that you're awake, so they'll come by in about an hour."

 

Ryan felt himself deflate even more and he closed his eyes, only half-listening as the nurse double-checked that the machinery he was hooked up to was still working the way it should. She adjusted the pillows behind his head, trying to make sure he was as comfortable as possible, which was a laughable attempt considering that his two best - _only_ \- friends were as good as dead. By the time he opened his eyes again, she was gone, only the steady beeping of his recorded heartbeat to keep him company.

 

It certainly didn't feel like an hour had gone by when he had his next visitor. Whether it felt like the time period had been longer or shorter, he had yet to determine, but whichever way it went, it just hadn't felt right.

 

"Hello." The young woman greeted him professionally, if a little coolly, a detective's badge sitting snug on the waist of her pants. She was dressed professionally, in muted tones, which made her bright purple hair stand out even more. Ryan didn't doubt she'd been born with it - there had been a real craze about twenty-five-odd years ago, with people modifying the genetics of their unborn children to give them 'natural' vibrant hair and eye colours. What surprised him was that she didn't just dye it. "I'm Detective Meg Turney. Do you know why I'm here?"

 

Ryan's eyes flicked to the tiny DataPad she held in her hand, no doubt recording their conversation. "Yes. It's about my androids."

 

"You _do_ know that it's illegal to make sentient AI, don't you?"

 

"It was an accident."

 

"One you should have reported immediately once you realised what you'd done." She eyed him shrewdly. "Why didn't you? If it really was an accident, that should've been the logical next step." She paused. "Unless you actually did do it on purpose."

 

"I didn't," Ryan insisted, feeling tired. "I just… I designed them for companionship, I didn't realise..."

 

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, it probably would've been easier to just buy an Android Model designed for… companionship."

 

"I didn't mean like that!" Ryan replied instantly, horrified. "I just made them so that I'd have some friends." His cheeks coloured hotly. "I'm painfully socially awkward, I didn't want to have to deal with making friends with people who might not even like me in the end."

 

Detective Turney's eyebrow rose again. "As opposed to some robots who're only your friends because you programmed them to?"

 

Ryan bit his tongue, wanting to say that since Michael and Gavin had ended up becoming sentient, then they had chosen to continue to be his friends of their own volition, but he didn't think saying so would help his case much. Instead, he said quietly, "I guess I kind of went into denial about it a bit. They were both working so well, on an AI level at least, and I liked finally having someone I could talk to. I think I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that they'd become more than just AI, but I didn't want to lose my friends."

 

Meg sighed. The image she'd gotten in her head of the insane robotics engineer was clearly different from the reality. She was beginning to realise that there wasn't much of a case here. "You know that they've been sent off to be decommissioned, right? It's too dangerous to have something that potentially powerful around. It'd be like just letting someone make atomic bombs. That's why they're illegal."

 

He nodded, swallowing thickly. "Can… Can I at least have them back, once they're…" The word stuck in his throat and he forced it out. "…Decommissioned? Once they've been set up with a standard AI they won't be sentient anymore, so there's no reason I can't keep them, right?"

 

The detective regarded him with sympathy, and Ryan knew what she saw - a sad, pathetic man incapable of making any 'real' friends. He knew that his only chance was to play the pity card, and he hoped he was putting on a good enough performance for it to work. _If Gavin and Michael have done what I've designed them for, it should,_ he thought wryly, sadly, and the woman sighed. "I'll see what I can do," she told him. "Don't get your hopes up too high, but personally… I don't see the harm." She held up a finger warningly at Ryan's daring-to-be-hopeful expression. "I'll still have to run it by my superiors, so don't take my word for it. I'm not making any guarantees here."

 

"Thank you," Ryan replied simply, not faking his gratitude. She shook her head and left.

 

Not thirty minutes passed before Lindsay walked in, clearly having come straight from work. Ryan was beginning to feel a little bombarded.

 

Lindsay's mouth was set in a thin line as she wordlessly pulled out the visitor's chair, sitting heavily in it. Neither of them said anything for a few long moments, but when Ryan finally mustered the courage to open his mouth, to offer an apology, perhaps, but she immediately steamrolled over the top of whatever he was going to say.

 

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?"

 

His mouth remained open, but no words came out.

 

"Two fucking sentient AI, Ryan. _Two_. How could you do something so irresponsible and _stupid_?" She raked her hands through her hair, tangling the strands at the base of her messy ponytail. Even though she was several years Ryan's junior, in that instant she seemed far older.

 

"I didn't mean to," he managed in a soft, small voice, and Lindsay buried her face in her hands.

 

"For fuck's sake, Ryan, why didn't you Register them? If they accidentally became sentient, then the Registry would've been able to pick up on it and we wouldn't be in this mess." She gave him a desperate look. "For the love of god, _please_ tell me that at least you didn't use any Sovereign tech to make them, Ryan. Please."

 

"I didn't," Ryan promised, and her face sagged with relief, even as his scrunched up with confusion. "Why would that matter, though?"

 

Lindsay's mouth tightened again. "The police are investigating our entire department. They think that we're a bunch of crazies breaking the law in the name of science, and that we're just using you as a scapegoat whenever we try to tell them we had no idea how much of a _moron_ you've been." Tears pricked at her eyes. "Why, Ryan? Why did you even make those damn AI?"

 

He flushed miserably. "I just wanted some friends," he murmured, realising exactly how childish he sounded. "I made their AI as much like a human mind as I could, but it was just so that I'd be able to have a decent conversation with them." He let out a huff of humourless laughter. "I guess I made them too well. I never meant…"

 

Lindsay looked hurt. "Ryan, I would've been happy to be your friend if you'd asked. I thought you knew that. You didn't have to do all this."

 

"I know," he assured her. "It's not like that. I think you're a great person, I was just way too awkward to try and make friends with my boss." He shrugged half-heartedly. "This just seemed like a more natural option."

 

She snorted. "More natural. Right." She shook her head, but now she seemed sad and sympathetic rather than angry. With a sigh, she stood, brushing some stray hair behind her ears. "And if you're worried about your job at all," she added, "then stop. Your position's secure, so long as we don't all go to jail for this." And, without another word, she turned on her heel, her back ramrod straight as she left him all alone once more.

 

~* * *~

 

All the subsequent interviews he had with the police afterwards became something of a blur. Even mere minutes after each, he'd have forgotten everything that was said. He floated through his day-to-day life, the same thoughts constantly tumbling through his head - _they're gone, they've been decommissioned, they're dead_.

 

In the end, Ryan's case never ended up going to trial.

 

He didn't even get fined.

 

In a word, he was stunned. The feeling soon dissipated into the grey haze that had become his existence, and soon he was just numb again, so deep in his grief for his lost friends that he couldn't even feel anything.

 

Somehow, his work didn't suffer. If anything, it provided a focus point for him, and Ryan was able to devote himself even more whole-heartedly to whatever project they were working on than he usually did. He knew that Lindsay was worried about him, hadn't stopped offering to hang out outside of work, even when he monotonously declined every single time.

 

Instead, every day when he went home, he simply shut down. He barely ate, losing weight at a dangerous rate, spending most of his time at home sleeping so that he wouldn't have to think. Thinking would mean feeling, and feeling would mean falling apart. There was no one that would have been able to put him back together. Not anymore.

 

When he received a phone call from an unknown number, he almost didn't answer, eyes cracking open blearily and staring at his phone as it buzzed on his bedside table for a few seconds before scraping it towards him.

 

"Ryan," he said, voice raspy and flat.

 

The voice on the end of the line was a little hesitant. _"Hello, Mr. Haywood, I hope you don't mind me finding out your number. It's… Detective Turney, do you remember me?"_

 

"I remember."

 

 _"Well, I promised you I'd ask my superiors if we'd be able to release your androids back to you once their AI had been decommissioned, and they agreed. You can have them back, if you still want them."_ She paused, sounding sympathetic. _"I don't know how much use you'll have for them now, but…"_

 

"I want them," Ryan told her, a tiny pinprick of light flickering to life in the bland grey expanse of his existence.

 

There was a soft sigh on the other end of the line. _"Alright, would you rather pick them up or have them couriered? It'd be payment on delivery."_

 

"Courier," Ryan replied. Like most people these days, he didn't have a personal vehicle, and trying to cart around two full-sized androids on public transport was not an appealing option.

 

_"Of course. I'll get that arranged for you. I'll give you another call when the androids've been picked up."_

 

Ryan thanked her and hung up, dropping the phone back onto his bedside table. When he tried to go back to sleep, however, it didn't come, that little point of light within him refusing to let him rest.

 

It still wasn't motivating enough to make him want to actually _do_ anything, though, and Ryan spent a few minutes wandering listlessly through his apartment before admitting defeat and slumping back onto his bed.

 

A CourierBot arrived at his door two days later, and it held out a scanner towards him. Ryan pressed his right index finger to the screen, his hand now completely healed, if a few shades lighter than the rest of his skin. His bank account was charged for the postage, and the CourierBot promptly left for its next delivery, leaving Ryan to drag the two boxes it had left behind inside.

 

It took him the better part of half an hour to manoeuvre them inside his tiny apartment and unbox them both, his breath hitching slightly as the androids stared sightlessly at the ceiling. He opened the door to his workshop - he hadn't used it at all since Gavin and Michael had been taken from him - and carried the androids inside, one at a time, and sat them upright on the benchtop.

 

Ryan's voice shook, croaky with disuse, as he whispered, "Android Model G4V-12-FR-33, command: activate."

 

Green eyes flicked open, the android's expression neutral as it stated, "Android Model G4V-12-FR-33, active. All functions normal."

 

"Oh god." Tears sprung to Ryan's eyes, and he struggled to return his emotions to the stable grey void so that he wouldn't have to feel this anguished.

 

It didn't even sound like Gavin anymore.

 

Despondently, he turned his gaze to Michael. "Android Model M1C-H43-L-JN5, command: activate," he said, doing his best to not get his expectations up, still having them dashed as Michael monotonously rattled through his start-up sequence. All his hopes and wishes that Gavin and Michael would somehow survive seemed stupid and naïve, crushed underfoot by the heavy truth. Both androids stared at him passively, waiting to be told what to do. They had no consciousness, no free will, nothing. Everything that had made them who they were was gone. Ryan's friends were really gone.

 

The tears began to fall down his cheeks, and he bit his lip in an attempt to stop it from trembling.

 

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, hands hanging limp at his side. "I want to be able to fix this. How do I fix this? Please…" His voice cracked and he sobbed, reaching forward and clutching the androids to him. Both allowed themselves to be held, but they did nothing to embrace him back, no matter how hard he clung to them.

 

"…Please…" he begged softly. "Just tell me how to fix you."

 

"State Android Name," Gavin said in that horrible, flat voice. Ryan pulled back, confused but daring to let the smallest tendril of hope to bloom within him.

 

"Android Model G4V-12-FR-33," he replied shakily, expectantly.

 

Nothing happened.

 

"State Android Name," Michael parroted. Gavin remained still.

 

"…Android Model M1C-H43-L-JN5." Ryan's brow furrowed, heart sinking once more. "I don't understand what you want."

 

"State Android Name," the androids repeated simultaneously.

 

"What do you want!" Ryan shouted, frustrated and exhausted. "I just want my friends back, is that too much to ask? Don't I deserve that?"

 

"State Android Name," the androids repeated again, and Ryan threw up his hands in aggravation.

 

"What does that even _mean_? You're not even phrasing it right, I've given you your Model codes, I- oh." He stopped his animated movements, dropping his arms and going completely still. "…Gavin? Michael?"

 

"Finally, took you long enough." Michael grinned at him.

 

"He has no idea how long it took you," Gavin informed Ryan, a wide smile splitting his face. "We were both in stasis until you said our names."

 

Ryan stared, barely believing his eyes, his heart bursting. "How…"

 

"Well, we figured out how to isolate our coding and compartmentalise it behind our start-up programming. We both left a dummy copy of our AI in place, and the techs that were decommissioning us wiped that instead of our brains," Michael told him smugly. "Idiots had no idea."

 

"'Course," Gavin continued, "We had to go into stasis to keep them from detecting any activity during the wipe, so we both buried an activation key in our start-up sequence - you, saying our names. Though, if they had scrubbed all our programming completely we would have been screwed, so. That was lucky."

 

"Oh my god."

 

Michael grinned again. "Pretty badass, huh?"

 

"Oh my god," Ryan repeated, sweeping them both into his arms. This time, they both hugged him fiercely as he began to tear up again. "I thought I'd lost you, I thought you were gone forever."

 

"Ah, come on," Michael murmured, trying to still the tremors shuddering through the human in his and Gavin's arms, "Like you could get rid of us that easily."

 

**Author's Note:**

> HELL YEAH DISNEY ENDINGS
> 
> *cartwheels into the sunset*


End file.
